Ruby Priscilla Krueger

Ruby Priscilla Krueger, 93, a resident of Moses Lake, Wash. for over 50 years, passed away October 29, 2004 at the Cashmere Convalescent Center in Cashmere, Wash.

The passing of Ruby is captured in II Corinthians 5:8: "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent for the body and to be present with the Lord."

Ruby was born on July 19, 1911 at the family farm in Gray, Iowa. She attended public school at Gray, Iowa Consolidated Schools. She was valedictorian of her class and a stalwart player on the girls' basketball team.

As a young lady, Ruby went to business school in Omaha, Neb. Later, she moved to Kansas City, Mo. to serve as a caregiver. She returned home to Iowa and met and married her husband, Fred, in 1934. They both worked for the Viola Center School District, Ruby as head cook and Fred in bus maintenance.

In 1940, Fred moved to the west coast, when he learned work was available at the Bremerton Naval Shipyard. Ruby, with three young boys, made the trip west in 1941 from Minnesota to Washington.

After World War II, they moved to Moses Lake as part of the early settlers associated with the Grand Coulee Dam/Columbia Basin Federal Reclamation Project. They owned and operated Columbia Basin Machine Co., which today is owned by their son, Delone Krueger.

Both Ruby and Fred became Christians in the early 1940s. This transformation by God's grace led them to a life of dedicated Christian service. They helped build the First Baptist Church in Moses Lake and were longtime members. Ruby was an active Sunday School teacher and served as Deaconess.

Ruby was a treasure to her loving family and friends. Many will attest to her influence in their lives. She encouraged education, career and family with a spiritual life as the foundation. We will always remember her chocolate chip cookies, homemade raspberry jam and Sunday pot roast dinners.

She was preceded in death by two brothers, one sister and her husband of 53 years.

She is survived by: one sister, Helen Martin of Des Moines, Iowa; her six children and their spouses, Gene and Rosemary Krueger of Redmond, Wash., Delone and Eileen Krueger of Moses Lake, Charles and Jackie Krueger of Wenatchee, Wash., David and Roxanne Krueger of Columbia, Md., Bob and Marla Krueger of East Wenatchee, Wash., and Nancy and Dave Duffey, also of East Wenatchee; 17 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.

Memorial services were held on November 1, 2004 at Kayser's Chapel of Memories in Moses Lake. Interment was at Pioneer Memorial Gardens in Moses Lake.

Truly this wonderful mother and grandmother lived by the Gospel in Philippians 1:21: "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."